Burglar jailed after dramatic car chase

A MAN has been jailed for three years and eight months for burglaries that ended in a dangerous car chase across the county.

Doncaster man Lewis Robson, aged 21, of no fixed address, admitted aggravated vehicle taking without consent and two counts of burglary in the Balby area in 2012.

Last May Robson forced entry to a property on Belmont Avenue and stole various items including a laptop, a flatscreen TV and mobile phones.

He was later arrested by police, charged with the offence and appeared at court, where he was granted bail.

But, in August last year, while on bail, he burgled a property on Ventnor Close, also in Balby, and stole the keys to a Vauxhall Corsa before taking the car from outside the house.

Police located the Corsa and Robson in the Armthorpe area the same evening, but he failed to stop and increased speed to get away.

A police pursuit ensued in a bid to stop and detain him from continuing to drive dangerously as he travelled from Armthorpe and southbound on to the M18.

Robson eventually lost control of the car while trying to drive the wrong way around a roundabout and hitting a kerb on the A57 in Aston, Rotherham.

He abandoned the car and ran off into a wooded area, and with assistance from the police helicopter, he was found hiding in an outbuilding by officers on the ground.

He has also been disqualified from driving for two years by a judge at Sheffield Crown Court.

Pc Andy Hotchkiss said after the case: “Robson put innocent lives at risk by failing to stop for police and driving recklessly through Doncaster and the rest of the county, in a bid to escape facing the consequences of his previous offences.

“Burglary is a very intrusive crime that can leave the victims feeling vulnerable and unnerved in their own homes. I hope the sentence he has received sends out a clear message that crime will not be tolerated by South Yorkshire Police.”.

Police are encouraging residents to take steps to ensure they do not become the victim of such crimes.

A police spokesman said: “Unlocked, insecure doors and windows often give opportunist criminals easy access to the property and make entry to the property easy, sometimes without victims not even knowing that some one has have been into their house.”

Residents are reminded to reduce the risk of their home being burgled by making sure they take simple precautions including keeping all doors and windows locked at all times even when inside.

Do not leave keys visible, for example on a key rack and therefore susceptible to being hooked out. Take keys, wallets and other valuables upstairs when going to bed.